Holyoke rallies past Colby 27-23 in season opener

HOLYOKE, Colo. — Colby appeared to have control of its season opener Friday night, building a 23-0 lead over Holyoke early in the third quarter.

But the Eagles could not hold on.

Holyoke scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with less than five minutes remaining, to rally for a 27-23 victory over Colby.

The loss spoiled the first game for Colby head coach Dakota Breuer, who took over the program after spending six seasons as an assistant at Republic County.

Colby struck first after its defense forced several early turnovers. The Eagles opened the game with a safety when Holyoke quarterback Dathyn Dirks was pressured in his own end zone and fumbled the ball out of the back of the end zone late in the first quarter.

The Eagles extended their lead in the second quarter.

After Carter Gordon intercepted Dirks, Colby drove 53 yards, with Neale Morrison breaking off two runs of more than 20 yards to set up Gordon's 4-yard touchdown run. The extra point was unsuccessful, leaving Colby with an 8-0 advantage.

Colby added another touchdown just before halftime. Morrison connected with Nathan Cates on a 25-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the second quarter. Gordon added the two-point conversion, sending the Eagles into halftime with a 16-0 lead.

Colby continued to capitalize on turnovers early in the second half. Gordon intercepted Dirks for the second time on Holyoke's opening possession of the third quarter, and Morrison scored on a 14-yard touchdown run two plays later. Connor Surmeier's extra point pushed the lead to 23-0.

Holyoke finally answered later in the quarter when Dirks found Riley Powell on a screen pass. Powell raced 50 yards down the sideline for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 23-7.

The Dragons then turned the game around in the fourth quarter.

Dirks found Elbin Padilla for a 31-yard touchdown on Holyoke's opening play of the final quarter,

trimming Colby's lead to 23-14.

Colby failed to convert on fourth-and-inches in its own territory on its next possession, giving Holyoke another opportunity.

The Eagles' defense responded with a fourth-down sack to stop the Dragons, but Colby could not take advantage. After Morrison scrambled for 23 yards on third down, he threw an interception that Hudson

Leuth returned 77 yards for a touchdown. Holyoke's deficit was suddenly just 23-21.

Two plays after Colby regained possession, Morrison threw his fourth interception of the night. Padilla picked off the pass, and after a penalty, Holyoke needed just one play to take the lead. Dirks connected with Padilla for a 39-yard touchdown, putting the Dragons ahead 27-23.

Colby had one final opportunity.

Gordon broke loose for a 32-yard run, but the Eagles failed to convert on their next four plays and turned the ball over on downs.

Holyoke then appeared ready to run out the clock, but a 19-yard run by Jacob Quintana ended with him being tackled out of bounds, giving Colby one last possession after the Dragons missed a field goal.

With 17 seconds remaining, Morrison completed two passes to move the Eagles to the Holyoke 36-yard line. Colby ran out of time before it could attempt another play.

Morrison finished  8-21 with 153 yards passing and a passing touchdown, 13 carries for 124 yards and a rushing TD with four interceptions, while Gordon accounted for 16 rushes and 77 yards on the ground as well as two interceptions on defense and scored Colby's first touchdown of the season.

The loss drops Colby to 0-1 on the season. The Eagles entered the season looking to improve on a 3-6 record from a year ago and are seeking their first winning season since 2020.

Colby had won the previous two meetings with Holyoke, including a 34-25 victory last season.

The Eagles will be at home next Friday vs Southwestern Heights for their home opener and homecoming game.